Sean McVay makes decision on if Rams will play starters in Week 18

1 week ago 2

Perhaps one of the biggest non-injury questions of Week 18 is what the Los Angeles Rams will do with their starters against the Arizona Cardinals.

The teams clinched a playoff berth weeks ago and are locked into either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, depending on what happens in the San Francisco 49ers-Seattle Seahawks game on Saturday night. A 49ers win means the Rams will be the No. 6 seed, while a loss means the Rams could take the No. 5 seed if L.A. beats the Cardinals.

Regardless, head coach Sean McVay has already made his decision: The starters will play in Week 18.

This is bold, especially because it risks injury for the most important players on the team, like Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. But the idea makes sense given the Rams have lost two consecutive games.

The team could use Week 18 as a bye if they know what seed they'll be that afternoon, but it appears as though McVay would rather fight for positivity heading into the postseason than rest his best players.

What we don't know is how long the starters will play if the Rams know their fate before the game. McVay could easily pull the top players at any moment if he gets concerned with injury risk or if he sees where the winds are blowing in the game.

McVay has proven to be riskier in his decision-making this season than ever before — especially on fourth down. This is just another example of the coach's evolution as he looks to compete for his second Lombardi Trophy.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay makes decision on if Rams will play starters in Week 18

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